Objective To investigate the imaging features of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma.Methods The imaging features of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma confirmed by pathology in 5 patients were reviewed retrospectively.Among the patients,plain and contrast enhanced CT in 4 and plain and contrast enhanced MRI in 1 were performed.Results CT showed a single lesion in 2 patients and multiple lesions in other 2 with the maximum diameter of 5.5 cm-10 cm.On plain CT,all lesions were hy-podensity with clear boundary and lower area in the center.The enhanced CT showed the lesions with obvious enhancement in arteri-al phase and gradually increasing enhanced area in portal vein and delayed phases but without enhancement in the lesion center.MRI showed the only one lesion in 1 patient with heterogenerous hypointensity on T1 WI,hyperintersity on T2 WI and DWI,and with mild to moderate delayed enhancement.The maximum diameter of the lesion was 5.0 cm,accompanied by a small round cystic structure at the periphery.The compression and displacement of peripheral blood vessels by the lesion without thrombus,and no lymphade-nopathy were also identified.Conclusion CT and MRI may show the imaging characteristics of the primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma,which is helpful for the diagnosis of the tumor.

Objective To assess the image quality of coronary CT angiography(CCTA) by using high-pitch spiral CT under 80 kV in patients with a normal body mass index(BMI), and to investigate the feasibility of low radiation dose.Methods 60 patients,who suspicious coronary artery diseases and BMI between 18.6-25.0 kg/m2 underwent CCTA in our hospital.All patients were randomly divided into group A and group B(each with 30).Patients in group A were given 100 kV CCTA and filter back-projection algorithm (FBP), and patients in group B were given 80 kV CCTA and iterative reconstruction(IR).CT values of aortic root, right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex (LCX) and standard deviation (SD) were measured.Then signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated.All images were given quality subjective scoring by using 3-score method.The CT dose index was recorded and effective radiation dose (ED) was calculated.Results ED of group A and group B was 0.8 mSv and 0.41 mSv, respectively.Statistically significant difference was found between these two groups.In the study, SD was (28±6) HU in group A and (46±9) HU in group B, and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups.The CT values of aortic root, RCA, LAD and LCX under 80 kV were significantly increased, and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups.There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in RCA-SNR, LAD-SNR and RCA-CNR.But in LCX-SNR, LAD-CNR, LCX-CNR, there was statistically significant difference between two groups.There was no significant difference between the two groups in coronary artery segments which could be used for diagnosis.Conclusion For patients with a normal BMI, CCTA using Flash spiral CT under 80 kV could diagnose coronary artery disease and significantly reduce the radiation dose.

Objective To explore the MatriXX measurements the dose distributions for each beam in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans were measured with 0 degree gantry angle and actual gantry position respectively.To discuss whether the two multi-angle synthetic pass rate from the two methods has statistics differences.Methods The dose distributions for each beam in IMRT plans were measured with 0 degree gantry angle and actual gantry position for twelve patients with head and neck tumor respectively.The γ pass rates (according to 3％/3 mm) for each beam under each angle condition was obtained by the comparison between the measured and the calculated dose distributions from the treatment planning system which was treated as the reference distribution.Use the t-test to analyse the actual gantry angle method and use the one factor analysis of variance to analyze the two multi-angle synthetic pass rate from the two methods.Results The γ pass rates of actual gantry angle was found generally declined seemingly compared with 0 degree gantry angle,but differentγ pass rates showed only in 80 °,120°and 240° with98.71％,93.59％(t=2.10,P=0.000),98.15％,93.17％ (t=2.10,P=0.000) and 98.94％,92.85％ (t =2.10,P =0.000) respectively.The γpass rate of multi-angle synthetic was seemingly between methods (98.27％,94.63 ％,F =0.50,P =0.134).Conclusions Two kinds of IMRT verification mode are from two position to validated the IMRT plans dose accuracy,comparatively analysing the conclusions drawn from the two methods can protect accuracy of IMRT plans more comprehensively.

Objective To analyze the advantage of altered fractionation radiotherapy by calculating the accumulative effects of daily biologically effective dose (BED) to find out the difference between conventional fractionated radiotherapy and altered fractionation radiotherapy.Methods The data in the report of hyperfractionated or accelerated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer published by Cochrane Collaboration in 2010 was analyzed.Based on the radiotherapy processes mentioned in this report,the accumulative effects of daily BED were calculated and compared in different radiotherapy processes by using linear-quadratic mode.The variation of BED in different radiotherapy processes was find out.Results In total dose of unity as the premise of 70 Gy,altered fractionation especially the hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy could give a higher BED to the tumor during a shorter period,hyperfractionated radiotherapy could give a lower BED to normal tissues,and hyperfractionated radiotherapy with split course could give higher BED to the tumor while lower BED to normal tissues.Conclusions The variation of BED in different radiotherapy processes can be shown clearly by linear-quadratic mode.It can be simple and shortcut through mathematical models for the evaluation of different radiotherapy plan,on clinical symptomatic selection play a guiding role in tumor therapy.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of low dose CT perfusion imaging of brain using the tube voltage of 70 kV.Methods Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent cerebral CT perfusion imaging with tube voltage 70 and 80 kV separately,and the interval between two scans was 24 h.The effective dosage (E),cerebral perfusion parameters (CBF,CBV,MTT) and image quality indicator (SNR) of middle cerebral artery of each protocol were acquired and compared statistically.Results The effective dosage of70 kV group was 1.91 mSv,34.8％ lower than that of 80 kV group with the dose of 2.93 mSv.There were no significant differences between the cerebral perfusion parameters acquired at different corresponding ROI.SNR of 70 kV group and 80 kV group were (23.15 ± 5.98) and (21.23 ±9.18) with no significantly statistical difference.Conclusions The effective dosage of 70 kV cerebral CT perfusion imaging could be dramatically reduced with no significant influence on the results of perfusion parameters and image quality.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of iterative model reconstruction (IMR) combined with low tube voltage and low iodine intaken of contrast media in head and neck CT angiography (CTA). Methods Eighty patients with clinical suspicion of head and neck vascular disease underwent head and neck CTA were enrolled in this prospective study. According to random number table, patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (n=40) was scanned according to the protocol of 120 kV, 50 ml iopromide (370 mg/ml) and filtered back projection (FBP) reconstruction, and group B (n=40) was scanned with 80 kV, 30 ml iohexol (300 mg/ml) and IMR, while the other parameters kept consistent. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the enhanced CT value of arteries, image noise, signal noise ratio (SNR), contrast noise ratio (CNR), the score of image quality, effective radiation dose (ED) and iodine intaken of contrast media between two groups. Results The CT value at the origin level of common carotid artery were (316.9 ± 53.0) and (433.4 ± 101.8)HU in group A and B, image noise were (28.1 ± 6.8)and (12.1 ± 2.6)HU ,SNR were (11.9 ± 3.2) and (37.7 ± 13.3) ,and CNR were (10.2 ± 2.9) and (32.6 ± 13.3), respectively. There were showed significant differences in CT value, image noise, SNR and CNR between two groups (Z=-5.490,-7.592,-7.698,-7.660, P<0.05). The CT value at the origin level of internal carotid artery were (359.5 ± 54.3) and (443.5 ± 120.1) HU in group A and B, image noise were (18.8±6.2) and (6.8±1.7) HU ,SNR were 21.5±8.7 and 69.7±27.4 ,and CNR were 18.0±7.3 and 62.7± 26.4, respectively. The significant differences were acquired in CT value, image noise, SNR and CNR between two groups (Z=-3.022,-7.376,-7.496,-7.515, P<0.05). The CT value at M1 segment level of middle cerebral artery were (321.1±47.3) and (401.6±104.0) HU in group A and B, image noise were (32.3± 17.2) and (11.2 ± 2.7) HU,SNR were 12.4 ± 5.6 and 39.3 ± 18.4,and CNR were 10.7 ± 4.7 and 36.4 ± 17.7, respectively. There also showed significant differences in CT value, image noise, SNR and CNR between two groups (Z=-3.527,-7.487,-7.482,-7.535, P<0.05). The score of image quality of group A and B were 3.9 ± 0.7 and 4.5±0.6, which also showed significant difference between two two groups (Z=-3.517, P<0.05). The ED were (2.78 ± 0.13) and (0.84 ± 0.04) mSv for group A and B, which also showed significant difference between the two groups (Z=-7.706, P<0.05). The iodine intaken of contrast media were 1.85 g and 0.90 g in group A and B. Conclusion IMR combined with low tube voltage and low iodine intaken of contrast media can not only decrease effective radiation dose and iodine intaken of contrast media significantly, but also improve the imaging quality in head and neck CTA examination.

Aim To observe the protective mechanism of loganinand morroniside ( active components in Cornus officinalis) on HUVEC injury induced by advanced glycation end products ( AGEs ) .Methods HUVECs were cultured in vitro and divided into control group , model group ( AGEs group ) , loganin group , morroni-side group and aminoguanidine group ( set as positive control).After being incubated with loganin and mor-roniside( final concentrations were 100,10,1 μmol?L-1 ) for 1 h, HUVECs were stimulated by AGEs of 200 mg? L-1 for 24 h.Then, the cell viability was measured by using MTT method .The supernatant was extracted and the levels of NO ,ET-1,MCP-1,VCAM-1 were measured by the corresponding kits .Receptors of advanced glycation end products ( RAGE ) and NF-κB in HUVEC were detected by Western blot .Results Loganin and morroniside could inhibit HUVEC injury induced by AGEs .In model group ,the contents of ET-1,MCP-1,VCAM-1 increased(P<0.01),the content of NO decreased ( P <0.01 ) and the expression of RAGE and NF-κB increased(P<0.01); however,lo-ganin and morronside could reduce the ET-1,MCP-1, VCAM-1contents,increase the NO content and down-regulate the expression of RAGE and NF-κB to differ-ent extents .Conclusion Loganin and morroniside could ameliorate HUVEC injury , and its mechanism may be related to inhibit inflammation , the improve-ment of endothelial cell function , and the decrease of the expression of RAGE .

Objective To evaluate the activation of the visual cortex in patients with primary openangle glaucoma (POAG) and to explore whether the neuronal activity corresponds with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and cup-to-disc (C/D) values.Methods Twenty-five patients and 25 gender-and agematched healthy volunteers were studied.Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) and three-dimensional brain volume imaging (3 D BRAVO) sequences were obtained using 3 T MR imaging system.A full-screen black-white shift checkerboard was used for visual stimulus during the fMRI experiment and was performed on each eye of all subjects using a visual-acoustical system.All acquired data were postprocessed and analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM).After analysis,individual activated mapping,intra-group mean activated mapping,and inter-group variant mapping were observed.The voxel number,intensity,and Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinate of the activated clusters were recorded.The Xjviewer software was utilized to obtain activated voxel numbers in occipital lobe.A Pearson correlated test was performed to test the correlation between the number of activated voxels and RNFL,C/D and Hodapp-Anderson-Parrish (HAP) clinical stage.Results Intra-group mean activated mappings of both patients and volunteers showed obvious activation in bilateral occipital lobes.As compared with healthy volunteers,the POAG patients exhibited statistically significantly decreased activation in bilateral occipital lobes,left hippocampus,and left cerebellum,along with lower mean RNFL [(71.56 ±21.54) i m versus (111.88 ± 9.96) μm] and higher C/D values (0.71 ± 0.18 versus 0.36 ± 0.08 ; t value was respectively-10.901 and 11.643,P ＜ 0.05).The number of activated voxels in the occipital lobes of POAG patients did not correlate with RNFL,C/D and HAP clinical stage of the corresponding eye (r value was respectively 0.157,-0.113 and-0.242,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions fMRI demonstrated differences in visual cortex activation in POAG patients relative to healthy volunteers,suggesting it might be a promising complementary method for diagnosing glaucoma.However,fMRI findings did not correlate with POAG extent,as measured by RNFL and C/D values.Ophthalmological examination remains to play an important role in the evaluation of open-angle glaucoma.

Objective To investigate the role of the p38 MAPK pathway in the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles .Methods Af-ter treated with Anisomycin ,SB203580 or SP600125 ,images of HepG2 ,LM3 ,QBC939 ,Hela and A549 cells were recorded by light microscopy and taken at a magnification of 400 × .The effects of anisomycin ,SB203580 and SP600125 on the activity of p38 and JNK were measured by Western blot .LM3 and A549 cells were stained with the ER-tracker red and the lyso-tracker red and subjec-ted to confocal microscopy analysis .Results (1)Anisomycin could abolish cytoplasmic vacuolization of HepG2 cells .(2)p38 MAPK activation was responsible for anisomycin-induced cytoplasmic vacuolization abolishment .(3)p38 MAPK blocking initiated cytoplas-mic vacuoles formation in various cancer cell lines .(4)p38 MAPK blocking-induced cytoplasmic vacuoles disrupted the integrity of endoplasmic reticulum .(5)p38 MAPK blocking reversibly induced cytoplasmic vacuoles formation .Conclusion These observations provide direct evidence for a role of p38 MAPK signaling in regulating the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles .

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hearing results and the effects of the prognostic factors following myringoplasty. METHOD: Retrospective cohort 165 inpatients (175 ears) with preoperative conductive hearing loss were analyzed using multiple linear regression statistical analysis. They have undergone sandwich temporalis fascia myringoplasty between January 1999 and November 2003. Patients have been followed-up for more than 2 years. RESULT: The average air-bone gap improvement for all 175 myringoplasty procedures was 7.1 dBHL. Multiple linear regression statistical analysis was subsequently carried out on these prognostic factors on hearing outcomes and yielded the following relative importance of the predictive is as follows: mean preoperative air conduction threshold, duration of dry ear, duration of disease, age. There is a strong correlation between subjective audition and pure tone threshold audiometry. CONCLUSION A relatively better preoperative hearing, a relatively longer duration of dry ear, a relatively shorter duration of disease and a relatively younger age were found to be significant prognostic factors influencing the postoperative air-bone gap improvement of myringoplasty. Subjective audition improvement coupled with objective pure tone threshold audiometric improvement.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Child ; Female ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Conductive ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myringoplasty ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult